Armchair Dragoons Forums

Wargaming => The Modern World => Topic started by: judgedredd on July 27, 2022, 04:55:43 AM

Title: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on July 27, 2022, 04:55:43 AM
I kickstarted this a few months ago...honestly, against my better judgement at the time. I wasn't sure I like some of the mechanics.

My main beef initially was how terrain played out. A tank on one side of the map could fire at another tank at the other end of the map because there was no intervening terrain - because no troops had been in those sectors...but then a turn or two later, a bloody great big church could pop up and that tank could no longer duke it out. That just didn't make sense to me. At the time, I was playing Fields of Fire where you laid the terrain out immediately - so that might have influenced my thoughts on how this game does it.

Anyway, I did purchase it and I have to say, now I've seen several videos of it out in the wild, it's probably the only game I've ever purchased where I've felt some trepidation about receiving it.

The play-throughs show card management as a real issue. So many cards can be in a sector and yet with only 3 units plus the terrain, it become pretty unwieldy. I personally think the cards look fantastic. But I think they really could have been smaller - much smaller - to help manage them in sectors.

The quality of the product - as always from LnL - does look outstanding.

It'll be hitting my floor sometime in the not too distant future and I can get a look at it myself. Maybe my concerns will all be for nought, but I have to say...excitement is not really what I'm feeling at the moment.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: Barthheart on July 27, 2022, 07:13:32 AM
All of this is why I didn't back it.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on July 27, 2022, 09:26:57 AM
yeah - I think I may have made a boo boo.

Hopefully I'm wrong and the system will work out just fine. :whistle:
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bob48 on July 27, 2022, 09:42:04 AM
Put it on BGG store, quick!
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on July 27, 2022, 10:28:56 AM
Nooooo....it might be alright. Right?
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: Snaekolf on August 05, 2022, 02:02:11 PM
I had many of the same concerns.  But, I love LnLT and NaW so I preordered this one.  I'm looking forward to trying it out and seeing how my first impression compares to how I felt before ordering it.  LnL has done a ton of playtesting so I'm hopeful.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on August 13, 2022, 03:09:42 AM
Yeah I'm in the same boat...I've watched a playthrough and whilst I still have concerns about the footprint and maintaining card discipline (I kind of spend too much time making sure my counters are straight!), I am looking forward to grabbing it and seeing how it plays out for me.

One other concern I had - watching the playthrough - was focus seemed to be on one or two units.

But...it's paid for so I might as well take hold of it and give it a few playthroughs before making a decision on what I think are problems.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on August 23, 2022, 05:14:06 PM
This has now landed in the US. A couple of weeks apparently before it'll be in their warehouse and then distribution.

I reckon I'll get my hands on it about November
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 12, 2022, 09:59:38 AM
Say what you like about the game - but there's ALOT of shit in this box. Also, they have British, Canadian and Resistance in there. That can't be sniffed at.

Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bayonetbrant on October 12, 2022, 10:21:02 AM
Say what you like about the game - but there's ALOT of shit in this box. Also, they have British, Canadian and Resistance in there. That can't be sniffed at.


yes they do

https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/reviews/unbox/unbox-lk12/
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 12, 2022, 11:14:17 AM
Yeah - I saw you had it...I'm still waiting  :'(

But also - still confused on whether it's going to work or not. Have you played it yet? NM - I guess that was rhetorical  :2funny:
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 21, 2022, 05:12:41 AM
Well....

I've started reading the manual and actually it's pleasant and easy to read. I am already on page 22 already. That is actually excellent for me. 22 pages on a manual in a few hours over a 24 hour period is attention smashing for me.

Anyway - not much to report but (so far) the manual is easy to read and (so far) is making sense. We'll see. I haven't got to LoS yet.  >:D
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: Ravensworth on October 21, 2022, 05:44:02 AM
I am going to wait for the reviews and a couple of playthroughs to come out before I commit to all those cards.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 21, 2022, 07:22:36 AM
Yeah - I'm not sure the box that comes with it is going to be very sympathetic to card sleeves - it seems quite tight. It was nice of them to provide the inside to help keep the cards in place - but a teensy weensy wee bit more space would've been cool.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bayonetbrant on October 21, 2022, 08:11:52 AM
I'm not sure the box that comes with it is going to be very sympathetic to card sleeves

There's a 0% chance that sleeved cards are going to fit in the existing box insert.  It would completely defy physics (paging Vance!)
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 22, 2022, 11:48:04 AM
This manual is extremely well written. I'm almost done and I have to say - the draw to play is very, very strong. I'm finding it a struggle to concentrate on The Dark Summer on my table. I might just bail and get this on...I'm very torn though because TDS is an excellent game. I'm really enjoying it though I had to start again because of some key errors during play...which hobbled both sides really.

The manual makes it sound fairly easy to get into and play - however I do have strong reservations about the size of the play area and the cards - shit looks like it could get busy (and therefore possibly lost) super fast.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 24, 2022, 04:33:36 PM
Yeah...couldn't resist
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 26, 2022, 01:44:58 AM
I have to say I'm very much enjoying this game at the moment.

I am still not sure about the cards. They're big and take up considerable space in what is a fairly small playing area given the size of those cards.

Card maintenance isn't so much of an issue at the moment, though this is the training scenario and there's much bigger out there. Just things like maintaining the fatigue and shaken counters on these cards. If you have 8 full size cards in one of these sectors (and you can - 6 half squads and 2 trucks).

But - I'm enjoying the playthrough. And actually the rules are (mostly) pretty easy...including LoS which I thought was f***ed up at first.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 30, 2022, 05:51:25 AM
I'm not sure the box that comes with it is going to be very sympathetic to card sleeves

There's a 0% chance that sleeved cards are going to fit in the existing box insert.  It would completely defy physics (paging Vance!)
Done. I used the sleeves from a post on BGG - thank you - and the insert is based on his design. I thought it was a bit tight so I created another compartment for the Action cards.

Everything in though the maps and manuals would sit proud...but I'm not fussed about that
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bob48 on October 30, 2022, 06:44:06 AM
That is a lot of stuff, JD. be interested to know how it plays, although to be honest, I'm no great fan of card type games.

I'm still waiting for you to get 'Decision at Kasserine' from Compass Games on the table  ;D
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 30, 2022, 08:20:54 AM
lol. You rermembered I had that!

This game plays pretty well. I've enjoyed my two play throughs of the first scenario. There is a problem with some of the rules but Sean is very active on BGG.

It's fairly easy to learn. The manual was written well imo. I've not played LnL Tactical for some time...but from what I recall it shares many of the rules.

I still have some concerns over the size of the cards and the play area. There's alot going on. I've only played a small scenario.

I like the card use...I'm actually becoming a huge fan of cats driven games. Thanks to FoF I think mostly.

I'm not a huge fan of the AEO. Either I'm not interpreting it correctly or often you seem to be focusing on one or two units. In my first play through, the German team didn't move or fire at all in the first turn

There's a huge amount of content and it's all big quality as you'd expect from LnL.

Bob...as a promise to you, the next game on my table will be Decision at Kasserine. I fancy a holiday somewhere hot anyway  :2funny:
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bob48 on October 30, 2022, 08:26:59 AM
 :bigthumb: :notworthy:
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: Tolstoi on October 30, 2022, 10:34:30 AM
Done. I used the sleeves from a post on BGG - thank you - and the insert is based on his design. I thought it was a bit tight so I created another compartment for the Action cards.

Everything in though the maps and manuals would sit proud...but I'm not fussed about that

(https://www.armchairdragoons.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4376.0;attach=6621;image)

Okay, wait, did you make those index card guides for all the cards that represent the different forces? Did you find those guides on BGG? I don't have the game, so I'm no interested in using them; however, upon seeing your pictures I had two reactions:
Your game component organization looks grand and it warms my wee librarian heart to no end. Thank you for sharing it.  :notworthy:
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on October 30, 2022, 11:03:53 AM
Thanks Tolstoi - but alas, I never made them. They are from a guy called Andrea Cantatore on BGG
https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/245955/point-blank-box-organizer-assembly-instructions

Unfortunately his instruction manual for printing the layout of the box sections did not work for me (he suggests using Legal Size (8.5x14) - which I did not have). I tried on A4 but it was missing parts. So I followed his general outline. I didn't like how cramped the forces bit was on the left - I thought it would be difficult to get cards in and out, so I created another compartment (as I wasn't going to have a big box for my counters)

But yeah - apart from me adapting the adjusting the layout on the box - it was all his work - and works very well. It must have taken him some time to do.
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: bayonetbrant on January 10, 2023, 01:05:52 PM
The guys from LNLP have a session of this set up for Saturday morning at The ACDC
Title: Re: Point Blank V is for Victory
Post by: judgedredd on January 14, 2023, 11:01:39 AM
He liked it...and also did his own small scenario on a video which I highly recommend...because this comes across much better as a video play through than a static AAR